This European Country Is Said To Have Invented The Cinnamon Roll

The origins of food as beloved as the cinnamon roll can be controversial, but there is no doubt that Europe loves them. Most popular in the colder northern countries, almost every culture has a variation on the recipe, with Finland having their korvapuusti cinnamon pastries, and the rolled Danish kanelsnegle (cinnamon "snails") with their circular forms that are more familiar to Americans. But no country has embraced the cinnamon roll more than its purported birthplace of Sweden.

We say purported because that is far from a settled matter, and most likely not true. Many sites will claim the modern cinnamon roll was invented in Sweden with the relaxed ingredient rationing after World War I, but what they are likely referring to is the specific Swedish variation called the kanelbulle. This is a more knotted cinnamon bun that is also flavored with cardamon, and it's wildly popular in Sweden. There are older forms of the cinnamon roll that date back to the 17th century, when cinnamon became more accessible in Europe and Sweden thanks to the global spice trade, but there is no evidence they started in Sweden, specifically. 

The earliest known mention of a recipe similar to cinnamon rolls is schnecken (also meaning "snails") in German cookbooks from the 1500s, which likely spread from German bakeries to Scandinavia. German immigrants to Pennsylvania are even thought to have introduced cinnamon rolls to the U.S. long before World War I, which is probably why our versions resemble the coiled German rolls and not the Swedish ones.

The cinnamon roll as we know it probably didn't come from Sweden, but no place loves them to the same extent. It's estimated that the average Swedish person eats over 300 cinnamon buns per year. A big part of that is due to the Swedish tradition of fika, their version of a coffee break. It's an essential part of the workday, and cinnamon buns are by far the most popular snack to accompany coffee. 

In fact, cinnamon buns are so beloved in Sweden that they even have their own special day celebrating them called "Kanelbullens dag" or "Cinnamon Bun Day." It was established by the Swedish Home Baking Council in 1999 and has grown to the point that more than 7 million cinnamon buns are consumed on the day, in a country of only 10.6 million people.

If you do try the Swedish kanelbulle cinnamon roll, you'll find it quite different from here in America. In addition to the added cardamon, they are much lighter and less sweet, lacking the heavy glaze of the American cinnamon roll. Instead, they are topped with a light sprinkling of Swedish pearl sugar. They are also baked quickly at high heat to get a lighter texture compared to the dense, enriched dough used in America. It goes a small way in explaining how the Swedes can down so many of them each year!